


About Minka

by alley_oops, jennandanica



Category: Actor RPF, Citadel (Journalfen RPG)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-11-01
Updated: 2008-11-01
Packaged: 2018-01-01 08:04:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1042380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alley_oops/pseuds/alley_oops, https://archiveofourown.org/users/jennandanica/pseuds/jennandanica





	About Minka

Karl and Dougray have dinner and talk about Karl's coworker, Minka Kelly  
 **players only. backdated. takes place in Vancouver, where Karl's shooting Almost Human**

Sitting at the bar which also serves as the kitchen pass-through, Karl watches Dougray cooking their dinner, listening to his lover telling him all about his latest sailing lesson. He doesn't have a clue what half the things are or how they work but it's good to hear Dougray excited and obviously enjoying himself. "So, you're planning on taking me out when you finish?" he asks with a smile. "Whisking me away for a weekend?"

"I'm sure as hell not going by myself," Dougray answers, grinning. Checking the time, he bends and slides a baking sheet out of the oven. "All right, try this," he says, piling thick slices of mozzarella and tomato on top of a toasted bread round, then topping it with a large leaf of fresh basil. "I made the bread today."

Karl takes a bite and groans his pleasure. "Mm. That's good," he mumbles, trying not to talk with his mouth full but Dougray's bread beats anything from the bakeries and with the fresh cheese and tomato... Christ. He could eat a whole loaf. "Really good."

"Good." Dougray simply watches his lover for a moment, enjoying the sheer appreciation Karl takes in his food. Then he gets back to work, topping off Karl's glass of Cabernet before he gives the seared mushrooms one last stir. "Almost ready. And the grocer told me this lamb came all the way from New Zealand, but I think you should be the judge of that." Mixing the mushrooms into a fragrant brown gravy, he then fills a dinner plate and sets it before Karl. "I set the table, but if you'd prefer to be casual and eat here, that's fine."

Karl shakes his head. "No. If you set the table, we'll eat there," he says, waiting for Dougray to fill his own plate before he heads for the dining room. "This smells delicious," he adds, certain it'll taste even better. "You spoil me something rotten, you know."

"Eh, you're not so bad." A bashful grin plays on Dougray's lips. He doubles back for their wineglasses, and takes his seat opposite Karl. "Plus, it's really in my favour to keep your energy up, when they're working you for such long days."

"At least I'm enjoying it," Karl says. "It's a good cast, good director. It's weird thinking it might end up being for a few years." Which'll bring its own set of issues but they've all coped so far.

"That would be really cool," Dougray says with a nod, and sips at his wine. "I'm still trying to get used to the idea of you being on telly instead of the movie theater. But you're working with so much amazing talent. What if you bring in the kind of audience that J.J. got for Lost?"

Karl shakes his head, taking his first bite of the lamb and groaning once more with pleasure. "So good," he murmurs. "I don't know what I'd do. I can't even really imagine it. Michael and Minka'd probably be over the moon but both of them have done a lot of television work. Stuff that didn't really go anywhere."

"But you, you left television back in New Zealand, more than ten years ago," Dougray says, cutting his baked potato and then smearing butter all over it. "Is it strange for you so far, to be on this shoot?"

"A bit. Shortland was a soap opera, Xena and Hercules were so pulpy. This is way more like films than television," Karl says. "Plus Minka's been flirting with me something fierce," he adds, grinning, eyes filled with mischief, only partly joking. "And messing around with your co-stars on a movie is one thing. On a show that might get picked up for a few years..." He grins.

Dougray snorts a soft laugh, turning the bottle of Cabernet so that it catches the light, throwing a richly-colored shadow onto the tablecloth. "Did you really sleep with lots of your co-stars, over the years?"

"Before London? Yeah." Karl nods. "And then Harry got pissed off at me so I gave it up for a while. But it's not like it meant anything and I always came home." He shrugs. "I've just always had a really high sex drive."

"I know." Dougray grins, and it's a touch smug. He takes a swallow of wine. "Doesn't Minka have a boyfriend? Is she trying to use you to make him jealous?"

Karl chuckles. "I don't know. If she does, she hasn't mentioned him," he says, continuing to eat, the food almost as good as sex. _Almost._

"Do you think she's trying to get you into her bed?" Dougray asks. He wouldn't fault her for the desire, hell no; he's been suffering from the exact same inclination for years now. "Or is she just very flirtatious with everyone? Does she not know you're out?"

"I think I'm the only one she's rubbing up against and making eyes at," Karl says. "But she knows I'm with you and Harry and I told everyone you were here. Of course I might be guilty of flirting back just a little," he adds, holding up two fingers, a half-inch apart. Unable to keep from grinning like a kid caught with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar.

Dougray's shoulders shake with laughter. "Yes, Sir, I'm well aware of _your_ inability to switch off your flirting gene. Those chromosomes are obviously dominant."

"That's what I tell Harry," Karl says, rolling his eyes. "You should explain it to him. Tell him I can't help myself."

"I'm pretty sure he knows that," Dougray says, smiling at Karl over the rim of his wineglass. "The flirt reflex is just... constantly engaged, in you. Actually, I would think that might just tire you out, poor thing."

"What? Me using it or trying not to," Karl jokes, digging into his vegetables and rice.

"I mean with you constantly having to carry out your primal destiny. It sounds overwhelming." Dougray grins. "How exhausting."

"I'm just built that way," Karl says with another shrug, trying to keep a straight face and failing miserably. "Would it bother you?" he asks. "If I did fuck her?" It's one thing when both Harry and Dougray are in another city but with his lover here...

"Hmm? Who?" Dougray is startled into a moment of complete confusion. Then his gaze clears, even as his heart starts kicking harder in his chest. "Oh, Minka. Because she's flirting with you so much, right. Of course." He laughs weakly, but he suspects it doesn't cover for his natural reaction at all. "Sorry, I just--" He forces himself to stop stop _stop_ talking, and rubs a hand over his eyes. "Of course it would be all right for you to fuck her. I think even Harry would say it's fine, don't you think? He's already loosened up so that you can play when you're on your own in some other part of the world. Why should this be different?"

"That's not what I asked," Karl says, watching Dougray closely. "I asked if it would bother you."

 _Fuck_. Dougray is on the verge of begging Karl not to make him answer that, but he highly doubts that his sir would let him get away with such cowardly nonsense. As well he should not. "May... may I have a little time to think about the question, Sir?" Dougray asks softly instead, his gaze on the table. It's one thing to know that Karl is having heterosexual flings all over the world, when he's on location by himself; actually, Dougray prefers to know that his sir isn't alone and needy. But the thought of Dougray being right here in Vancouver and yet knowing that Karl is choosing to be with Minka instead of coming home to him... That's something different entirely.

That right there tells him all he needs to know and Karl shakes his head. "Never mind. We'll stick to flirting," he says with a smile, trying to make sure Dougray knows he's honestly okay with it.

"No," Dougray blurts out, but tries to regain control of himself immediately. "Please, Sir. Karl," he says, meeting his lover's eyes now. "I really do just need a little time to get used to the idea, that's all. Please don't make a hasty decision. You asked me a question, and I just need to think before I can answer it." Fuck, what the fuck is wrong with him? His sir wants something and Dougray doesn't immediately agree? He usually prides himself on working to be a good boy, but this is bullshit behavior and he knows it.

"I shouldn't have asked it in the first place," Karl insists, mentally kicking himself for being so fucking insensitive. "I'm being greedy. I have you here and I am so incredibly thankful for that. I don't need to be fucking someone else when I've got you waiting for me at home." And on his knees, naked and plugged no less.

Dougray just shakes his head in response, and cuts another bite of his lamb. "Tell me about her," he says after a few moments spent in silence. "Do you like her personality?"

Karl shakes his head. "I don't want to do this. Let's just leave it alone. She's a sweet kid and she's fun to flirt with but the fact that it's a TV show and not a movie is probably reason enough right there to keep it to that."

That answer seems very definite - particularly the order for Dougray to back off - and it makes Dougray shift in his chair, uncomfortable. Uncomfortable and restless. He's mad now with the certainty that he has royally fucked up, and he needs to figure a way out of it.

"This is really good," Karl says, finishing off his dinner. "Thanks for going to the trouble. The lamb was perfect."

"It's no trouble," Dougray replies automatically, with a shake of his head. "I love you. I want to..." he shrugs, sure that Karl already knows.

Karl nods. "I know," he says, smiling. "It's great to come home to a hot meal. When I'm on my own, I tend to get lazy and just grab takeaway or go with cold stuff."

"Yeah. Your boy's heart cracks at the very thought," Dougray says, trying to make a joke. Trying to get himself back on track.

"See. Which is why we need to work on Harry. Convince him to move here with us if the show gets picked up," Karl says, sipping at his wine.

"Definitely," Dougray agrees, smiling as he gets to his feet and clears the table. Half his own dinner is left on his plate, but somehow the past ten minutes have killed his appetite. "Sir, would you like me to clean up the kitchen now, or would you prefer that I do it later?" he asks over his shoulder as he stacks dirty dishes in the generous double sink.

"Later. Come sit with me," Karl says, settling on the couch and motioning for Dougray to join him.

Nodding, Dougray rinses and dries his hands. He sits down next to Karl and hopes it's the right thing to do; usually, if Karl wants him on his knees, then he tells him directly.

"I love you," Karl says simply, pulling Dougray in against him, his arm around his lover's shoulders.

"I love you too, Sir," Dougray murmurs, melting into the embrace. Then he dares to add in a whisper, "And your boy thinks you should be with Minka when and however you want to be."

Karl appreciates the sentiment but there's not a chance in hell after Dougray's initial reaction. "What did I say earlier?" he murmurs, keeping Dougray close. "I've already made my mind up. Let's not talk about it anymore."

"Yes, Sir," Dougray sighs. _Fuck_. "Your boy is very sorry, Sir."

"Don't be," Karl says. "If I didn't want to know I wouldn't have asked in the first place." And besides, despite all jokes to the contrary, he's come a long way from being the kid with the compulsive need to act on every attraction.

"Yes, Sir," Dougray whispers again, letting his head rest on Karl's shoulder. He still feels like the lowest of the low.

Karl presses his lips to Dougray's forehead. "Want to go for a walk? It's a beautiful night out."

"Of course, Sir. Do you have a preference for what your boy should wear?" Dougray asks, getting to his feet.

"Just jeans and a shirt or t-shirt," Karl says, watching Dougray. "It's pretty nice out and I doubt it's cooled down too much." He just wants them to get out and away from the awkwardness of their dinner conversation.

Quickly Dougray gets dressed, his brow still furrowed with worry. Fuck, he wishes they could start this evening over again. What the fuck was he thinking? It's not his job to decide whether Karl gets to play around; he's not even supposed to voice an opinion. Actual decision-making regarding Karl's extracurricular lovelife: that's entirely Harry's domain. He slips his feet into scuffed Docksiders and meets Karl at the door.

Karl pockets his wallet and keys and locks up behind them, taking Dougray's hand as they walk to the elevator. "Do you have any plans for tomorrow?"

Dougray shrugs a little. "Only the usual. Exercise, get dinner started, go for my sailing lesson. I also have some work I need to get to."

"You should come visit me on set," Karl says. "Not tomorrow. Anytime. Everyone knows you're here and they'd love to meet you."

"That would be great. You know I'm always amazed by all that stunts-and-explosions magic," Dougray tells his lover, smiling a little. "I spend every day analyzing numbers and searching for trends -- all hard data. So it's the coolest thing for me come on to one of your sets and see all the work that gets put into changing the whole environment around you and manipulating everything to create the director's new world."

Karl smiles back. "Well, you should come down anytime you want," he says, meaning every word. "Your name's on the list. They'll let you right through."

"All right. Thank you, Sir," Dougray murmurs, stepping ahead to open the building's front door and hold it for Karl. "What part of this new role do you enjoy the most, so far?"

"I think I enjoy the thought of letting him grow," Karl says. "He's pretty stuck in his ways and he's sort of beaten down and distrusting and it'll be interesting to see that slowly change over time. But it's not doing a film where you put the character on for three or four weeks and then drop them. You actually have the chance to really inhabit them, _really_ create backstory for them and have them react to everything in their world on an ongoing basis."

"That's very cool," Dougray says, strolling at Karl's side with his hands in his pockets. "The idea of creating a fictional person like that, taking the bare bones and fleshing them out, just boggles my mind. What kind of extraneous details do you learn about the part, things you know will never even come up?"

Karl tugs Dougray's hand from his pocket as they walk, linking their fingers again. It's one of the things he loves about Vancouver, being open like this, with no worries that anyone will start something. "I have ideas about his family, his childhood, his reaction to his accident," he says. "J.J. lets me run with whatever I want as long as I tell him and the writers so it can inform what they're doing."

"I think that's so fucking cool," Dougray replies, and brings their joined hands to his lips, pressing a kiss of gratitude to the back of Karl's hand. "And he's got lots of different bionic bits, your character. Do you know which ones? Does it affect him sexually at all?" His grin winks in the streetlights. "I'm just asking from a doctor's perspective, you understand."

"Actually, it's just the one leg," Karl says with a soft chuckle. "But he was in a coma for 17 months and his girlfriend left him so I think he's pretty fucked up. I'm not sure what kind of shape he'd be in for any kind of intimacy."

"No," Dougray says, pretending shock. "But _surely_ the police force pays for rehabilitating its officers. If additional therapy were needed... they wouldn't just leave old John high and dry, would they?"

"I suspect they don't know just how fucked up he is," Karl says with a smile. "It's not like he's volunteering the information."

"Huh." Dougray swings their joined hands for a moment, and can't help the cheeky grin on his face. "Well, then. We'll just have to make sure that _you_ are completely relaxed and stress-free at home, so that you can devote all your inner trauma to fucking him up."

Karl laughs and leans in for a kiss, giving no thought to the people passing them by.

Dougray halts in place, surprised and just barely shy of overwhelmed. His free hand goes to rest on Karl's shoulder, fingertips light on his lover's neck. "Thank you," he whispers, easing back to see Karl's eyes. "I... I can't believe you just did that, and I'm so grateful."

"Why?" Karl asks, slightly confused. They're out. It's not like their relationship is a secret or anything. Except for the part where Dougray wears their collar.

"Because..." Dougray's shoulders rise and fall in a helpless shrug. "Because I still think it's amazingly courageous of you." His own inherent shyness would prevent him from ever doing something so bold. "And I... I'm just so happy that you love me that much. That you're so casual about telling the whole world." Like, no biggie; except that in Dougray's mind, the symbolism is huge.

"I do love you that much," Karl says, keeping Dougray close, his arms around his boy as he leans back against the railing overlooking the water. "And I'm proud of you, of our being together. You make me incredibly happy."

Dougray simply studies Karl's face for a long silent moment, searching for... he's not even sure. How do you precisely pinpoint a filled void when you've only ever known the lack? "You know, I used to think that was impossible," he tells his lover quietly. "To make someone happy, I mean. I thought... I thought it was something broken in me, like there was some key emotion that I was just missing from my genetic make-up. I figured, this is it: I'm just this... this emotionally-handicapped intrinsically unsatisfying person who doesn't come up to scratch, and I'd have to accept that I would feel that isolated forever."

Karl cocks his head to one side, watching Dougray as he speaks, his heart aching for their boy. "I hate that you ever felt that way," he murmurs. "I think I felt like that before I met Harry. Although mine was more along the lines of wondering if anyone would ever put up with me." He smiles. "But I think there's someone for everyone, I really do, and there just happens to be two for us."

Dougray wraps his arms around Karl's neck. "We're twice as lucky, all three of us. Is that your thinking?"

"Yup. Definitely," Karl says, kissing Dougray again. "Don't you agree?"

With a grin, Dougray rubs his mouth against Karl's. "You know I'll agree to absolutely anything when you kiss me," he says softly. "What were we talking about?"  



End file.
